tricare PRIME ??

i gave up after being on hold way to long..anyway how does it work having tricare prime? advice is welcome

Surgery is covered if one of the following is met. "The patient is 100 pounds over the ideal weight for height and bone structure and has one of the following associated medical conditions: diabetes mellitus, hypertension, cholecystitis, narcolepsy, Pickwickian syndrome (and other severe respiratory diseases), hypothalamic disorders and severe arthritis of the weight-bearing joints." or  "The patient is 200 percent or more of the ideal weight for height and bone structure. An associated medical condition is not required for this category. " or  "The patient has had an intestinal bypass or other surgery for obesity and, because of complications, requires a second surgery (a takedown). " You can go to their website and search "gastric bypass" and read about it more. If you meet the weight requirements for surgery, the first thing you'll need to do is get a referal from your PCM to see a bariatric surgeon. If you go to an MTF, some of the larger hosptals have a bariatric program in the hosptial, if not, your PCM can refer you off post. You can also search on Tricare's website which surgeons are particpating providers of Tricare. Many WL surgeons have a baratric program in place and their office will help you with all your appointments (psych eval, nutri appt, consulations, sleep study, etc) and necessary referals.  Hope this helps some. If not, keep asking questions. Someone smarter than me (I'm just starting out the process myself) will be able to help you. Good Luck!

congrats on tricare working with you, i want this surgery so bad its impossible to explain, im having a really hard time getting approved though. I'm 250 and 5'9 and i dont have any comorbidities, but my social anxiety, depression, and asthma drive me nuts. I was on a motivation kick and lost 30lbs last year on my own but b/c  back to back deployments for my husband i've lost all willpower and fight (i havent seen him since feb 2008 - marine corps sent him to japan, training in 29 palms then just sent him to afganistan) i have no kids, and no family to motivate me without him here...its just really hard. maybe you can give me some advice as a mil spouse. weight is the only thing causing my anxiety depression - i feel hopeless in this situation. Did you have a hard time getting approved w/ tricare prime? give me some advice

Definitely go to their website. Call them a lot and ALWAYS ALWAYS write EVERYTHING DOWN!!!! I can not stress this enough. Get a cup of coffee or tea and schedule some time (mornings are better) to deal with them. When they first answer the phone ask their name and from what call center they are from. BE NICE and not nasty when you ask them. You can tell them that you just are really into keeping records or whatever if you feel uncomfortable or they seem defensive. They have to give you their info BTW. Once they know you know who you are talking to, they are much nicer and more helpful. When (not if) you run into someone down the line that says "XYand/orZ is not true" you can give them who you talked to and when. I usually write the date and time in the margin. I have a whole pad of paper I use for each tricare thing I deal with. I have a civilian doctor and I'm in one of the (if not the) biggest military regions (Norfolk VA area) and I also had them cover the Lap Band. They suck, but if you just stay calm and you don't quit you can get what you need. Another thing I do is if someone gives me information I don't like, I tell them thank you for your time, hang up , and call right back. The most I've ever had to do this was 6 times and I got someone who said, "sure, let me do that for you." They are so so bad! Just focus on not letting them get to you... that's really important. They get away with not paying for a lot because they're so frustrating to work with that people just give up. Set your time aside and when that time is over, work on it the next scheduled time. Also, have them fax and email info when you get it.... so you have written proof. A lot of times they'll say they can't and they really can. Just say you've had them do it before and it'd sure help you out. If they still won't, ask to speak with a supervisor. If that doesn't work, they've always been willing to mail it to me... but sometimes that doesn't end up appearing in my mail box. Good luck with those people... and stick with it! It's your health and you don't have to let them stop you from getting what you need to be a healthy person!!! If you run into big roadblocks, PLEASE don't forget that you can write your representitive about it!!! Do a google search and you can find their contact very easily. They really do want to hear from their military!!! They can help you like no one else can! Stay organized, calm, and dedicated!!! Best Wishes!!!